Moving from a so-called professional role into being a Postman

[getmeoutofhere]

Long story short: I am a social worker who hates my job because I am chained to a desk all day, get no exercise as I have no free time, and have cases on my mind long after I've clocked off and through the night.

I've always had the escapist idea that I would love to be a postie: I love walking, working by myself, listening to music/podcasts (not sure if this is actually allowed) and not taking my work home with me.

A couple of jobs have finally came up where I live and I m going to apply. However, I'm worried about getting rejected straight away because of my work experience, i.e. that they might wonder why I'm taking a "step down" (though I absolutely don't see it like that). I've a mate who applied and was told he was overqualified because he had a degree.

Any tips for getting this message across to the recruiters and whether I should just leave my degrees off the CV altogether? Don't get me wrong - I know there's loads of posties with degrees, but I just wondered whether listing them is more of a help or a hindrance in the application process.

Cheers

[clashcityrocker]

It depends how desperate they are.
They don't tend to like "overeducated" people because they ask questions and they worry they won't stay long.

You can only be honest about who you are and what you want out of the job.
If they don't have enough applicants you are in with a good chance.

They used to do a management graduate scheme but I don't know if that is still running.

[itinerant]

I had the same thought when I applied (I had been working in I.T for 25+ years) and applied for all the reasons you mention and I have been with RM for almost 2 years now (we have a couple of others at our office who "downshifted" from other careers).

I think I made a point on my job application of covering the reason for me wanting to switch roles. When I had my interview I also raised it with the manager to make it clear my reasons were genuine and that I was not just looking for a short term stop gap. He said that he had seen quite a few people join from "professional" careers and it was not unusual.

I would not let your concerns put you off (as long as you are happy with the drop in income etc). I really enjoy the job (I work 30 hours over 4 days). It's great to be paid to keep fit and not spend your evenings & weekends worrying about your day job!

[Cloudwatcher]

Go for it and be honest is my advice.

Until the month before last I had spent 7 years working as an accountant and I hated sitting in the office all day every day staring at spreadsheets listening to my boss talk shite. I also have a maths degree so when I sent in my application a few months ago I also thought they will think I was overqualified. When applying I included 3 word pages as an attachment, the 1st page was a covering letter where I was basically honest and stated the reasons why I wanted a career change. I also included all the things that I thought relevant to the job. That I am a keen walker and think nothing of walking 10 miles. I am a competent driver. Previous work experience of working outdoors and independently etc. Basically to demonstrate that I wasn't just an office bod who would be no good outdoors thinking on my feet.

In the actual interview the first thing the manager did was look at my CV and literally say you have a maths degree and are in finance why the hell are you here or something like that. I just answered him honestly and we had a good laugh about it. I didn't get that job as he said they had gone already but he said I would go on a waiting list and to apply for local jobs and I would get one easily and he was true to his word and I did.

A month into the job and I do not regret it one bit. Overall its a great job.

[Jeemac]

I have a science degree and a Masters, and like previous posters was getting very stressed as a freelancer, taking work home with me not sleeping well, as well as getting pale and lardy from sitting in front of a screen all day. Two years ago, I was between projects, my Mrs suggested, half in jest, that I sign up as a Christmas casual. While I know now I was a bit lucky with where I was put to start off with, I really enjoyed it, and my mental and physical health is miles better . When the manager I was working for offered me a casual contract, I was happy to take it, and for the last 15 months I've been getting about 30 hours a week. I've also realised that there are quite a few 're-treads' in our DO - we have a PhD and other people who have done very skilled or stressful jobs.

I know I could make more with my CV, and I'm lucky to have 'been there done that' and I don't know if it would be the same if I was a lot younger - but I'm 54 now and intending to stick with this until I can afford to retire!